Editor’s note: This is the 21st in a series of weekly PRF seminars designed to help keep the pain research community connected during the COVID-19 pandemic and to provide all members of our community with virtual educational opportunities. The seminar series is supported by the Center for Advanced Pain Studies at the University of Texas at Dallas, US.
On October 5, 2020, the IASP Pain Research Forum hosted a seminar with Paul Farquhar-Smith, MA, MB, BChirFRCA, PhD, FFPMRCA, FFICM, Royal Marsden Hospital, London, UK. A Q&A session moderated by Matthew Brown, MD (Res), FRCA, FFPMRCA, MRCS, Royal Marsden Hospital, London, UK, followed the presentation.
A recording of this webinar will soon be freely available to IASP members at the IASP Pain Education Resource Center (PERC).
Here is an abstract from Dr. Farquhar-Smith
Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common cause of symptoms in cancer patients. Not only does it significantly add to the burden and suffering of cancer survivors, but it may also result in early cessation or dose modification of their anti-cancer therapies. Despite an increasing body of preclinical knowledge that has illuminated some possible therapeutic targets, the treatments available in clinical practice remain limited, and even those have a paucity of evidence to support their use. This presentation will focus on clinical elements of CIPN and investigate some of the translational work to link the science with the clinical need for efficacious treatment options.
About the presenter
Paul Farquhar-Smith, MA, MB, BChirFRCA, PhD, FFPMRCA, FFICM, works at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust in pain medicine and anesthesia. He has interests in persistent post-surgical pain and chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), and runs a dedicated CIPN clinic. He is a module lead for the UCL MSc pain course, was editor of the cancer pain section of the BPS ePain project, and speaks nationally and internationally about pain in cancer survivors and other pain topics. Dr. Farquhar-Smith has also advised on policy and guidelines such as NICE, ICD-11, and the London Cancer Vanguard. He is on the editorial board of the British Journal of Pain, is editor of the cancer pain section of Current Opinion in Supportive and Palliative Care, and is a Cochrane reviewer. He is also currently section head for chronic pain for the acclaimed f1000 educational website. He has an active research portfolio, including studies on biomarkers for CIPN, and has published more than 80 peer-reviewed original articles, chapters, and letters on pain, intensive care, and anesthesia.
About the moderator
Matthew Brown, MD (Res), FRCA, FFPMRCA, MRCS, is a consultant in pain medicine at the Royal Marsden Hospital. He trained at King’s College London, winning the War Memorial and Wolfson Foundation Scholarships, and graduating with distinction. His clinical training in pain medicine was conducted at The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. He fulfilled his long-term interest in clinical research by gaining a National Institute for Health Research’s Academic Clinical Fellowship. This enabled him to conduct novel, award-winning research into pain at both Imperial College London and King’s College London. Subsequently, he completed a doctorate in medicine at the Institute of Cancer Research (becoming the first anesthetist in the Institute’s history to do so and winning the Chairman’s Prize at graduation). Dr. Brown has published and lectured widely on the subject of pain. His research interests include pain in cancer survivors, persistent post-surgical pain, chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), and the use of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) to reduce pain from bone metastases. Additionally, he sits on the Faculty of Pain Medicine’s professional standards committee, providing him with an intimate knowledge of pain medicine in the UK. Follow Dr. Brown on Instagram: survivor_doc
Join the conversation about the seminar on Twitter @PainResForum #PRFSeminar
We thank the Center for Advanced Pain Studies at the University of Texas at Dallas, US, for its support of the PRF seminar series.
